The Chevy Bolt makes green driving fun
I’ve driven the Chevy Bolt a few times. At CES, briefly in San Francisco, and after a tour of the GM plant where the electric car will be assembled. But all those tests were in pre-production vehicles. Sure, they were working cars, but they weren’t quite ready for consumers. The company still needed to tweak and refine the EV leading up to its official launch at a dealership in Fremont, California in December. Finally , GM put me behind the wheel of a consumer-ready Bolt, and I wasn’t disappointed.
Chevy has pulled off something rather spectacular. It’s built a car that, regardless of drivetrain, is a wonderful four-door hatchback. The interior is big enough to carry four full size adults plus a week’s worth of groceries, while the vehicle itself retains the nimbleness and driving experience of a small vehicle. More importantly, it’s a tech-savvy, long-range EV that just hits under the $30,000 mark and doesn’t make drivers feel like they have to change how they drive.
That’s my biggest takeaway from my 100-mile-plus drive through the mountains, cities and highways of the Bay Area. Like while driving a Tesla, I never really felt any range anxiety. It’s rated to go 238 miles between charges thanks to its 60-kWh battery pack. But unlike any currently-available Tesla, you can buy a Bolt for just under $30,000 ($29,995, to be exact) after federal tax credits. Sure, the $35,000 (before federal tax credits) Model 3 is on the way, but the Bolt is on sale right now in Oregon and California and will be available nationwide in mid-2017.
Of course only the most obsessed-with-range EV owner will be able to eek that 238-mile range out of the vehicle. From my drive in various conditions and using all three mode (Sport, Drive and Low) I logged about 216 miles on a full charge. If the car had had more high-speed highway time, my mileage would have been less. But I spent less time checking how much juice I had and more time just driving.
To top off that long-range battery, the base model Bolt ships with industry-standard level 2 port. The 240-volt plug will add about 24 miles in an hour to the car. A typical 120-volt home outlet will add roughly four miles in an hour. For an additional $750 buyers can add the optional DC fast charger that will push 90 miles in 30 minutes to the pack. Of course it requires a DC fast charger. But more of those are appearing every day.
Buyers will have to weigh the pros and cons of each system, but the level 2 standard charger should be more than enough for most commutes and weekend jaunts.
However you charge, the car itself doesn’t feel like it’s been watered down or restricted to get you to your destination. It pumps out 200 horsepower and 266 pounds of torque from its 150-kW motor. It has enough getup-and-go in sport mode to tame local onramps with a zero-to-60 rating of under 6.5 seconds. Even in regular drive mode the car felt quick thanks to all that electric torque, which also helped it launch on the steep hills of San Francisco without any issues.
In low mode the car dials it back a bit and enables some aggressive regenerative braking when you take your foot off the accelerator. Chevy calls it one-pedal driving. It made perfect sense while driving in traffic and on San Francisco’s surface streets. For even more energy-conscious folks, the Bolt borrows a feature from the its hybrid cousin, the Volt (a pair of cars that will force folks to enter into a “Who’s on First” routine each time one of them is mentioned). The Regen on Demand lever behind steering wheel that brings the car to a stop without using the brake while maximizing the amount of electricity being sent back to the batteries.
During the drive it was clear that Chevy had taken the best bits of EV technology and crammed it into the Bolt. That includes a low center of gravity thanks to a battery pack placed at the bottom of the vehicle. Throw in what feels like a slightly tighter suspension than what I found on the pre-production models and navigating mountain roads was a blast for what’s essentially an economy car. The steering is tight and the ride is solid enough for spirited cornering, but not so much that a rough road or pot holes will knock you silly.
All that adds up to a driving a experience that’s more entertaining than I would have expected. Chevy could have easily hit its mileage range and price points and called it a day. But it made something better: an excellent car that just happens to run on electricity instead of gas.
That’s not to say the Bolt is perfect. One issue that might turn off some potential buyers is the front seats. They’re not uncomfortable if you fit into them. At six-foot three and 210 or so pounds, I felt as if I was hitting the width limit of chair. Any driver that’s wider in the hips area than me would probably start feeling cramped after about 30 minutes.
The rest of the interior feels open and roomy thanks in part to all the large windows. I was able to sit in the back seat without the front passenger sitting with their knees pressed against their chest. You can put most of your junk in the trunk and because the car doesn’t have a spare tire (it has special Michelin tires that automatically seal themselves) there’s extra room below the main cargo area. Putting the rear seats down obviously adds enough room for most trips to Ikea or Costco.
Chevy wants the driver not only to feel like they’re not cramped, but also that they can customize their infotainment experience. Information on the 10.2-inch touchscreen can be adjusted to the whims of the driver. Changing the widgets (which include energy use, audio, phone, clock, Bluetooth setup and others) to fit your needs is straightforward. The dash cluster is also adjustable with three different layouts; Classic, Modern and Enhanced. Classic gives you the bare minimum of information. Enhanced goes full-bore on details about your driving and Modern is somewhere in the middle.
One thing Chevy did not add is navigation. Instead it expects Bolt customers to be use Android Auto or CarPlay to fill in that gap. I rarely use a car’s navigation system and rely more on my smartphone to get around, so this decision makes sense to me.
One issue I did have with the infotainment system was the angle of the center console. I had to lean forward to reach the top icons. Not an ideal situation. But overall, I’m a fan. It doesn’t feel cluttered or overwhelming and it presents the information you want and how you want it without having to delve into the owner’s manual.
Really that’s one of the biggest selling points of the Bolt. You just get in and drive. Sure it’s full of technology, but most of that gets out of the way and lets the driver enjoy themselves. Chevy wanted to create an an affordable, long-range electric car without compromise but what it’s done is actually a bit more ambitious. It’s shown the world that Detroit is not only embracing the future, right now, it’s the leader.
Source: Chevy
MacRumors Giveaway: Win an iPhone Case and Dock From Grovemade
For this week’s giveaway, we’ve teamed up with Grovemade to offer MacRumors readers a chance to win one of the company’s wood iPhone cases and a matching dock. All of Grovemade’s products, ranging from Apple accessories to desk sets, are made from high quality wood and leather, and everything matches.
Grovemade’s docks, priced at $79, are made from wood and solid aluminum. Available in Walnut or Maple, the base of the dock is crafted from solid aluminum with a handmade wooden cap. An iPhone cable routes up through the aluminum base for charging purposes, and it’s heavy enough that it’s super stable on a desk.
Docks are available for all Apple iPhones from the iPhone 5 and later, and our giveaway winner will be able to choose the wood and size appropriate for their iPhone.
Grovemade offers four different iPhone case styles, ranging in price from $139 to $59. The Leather iPhone Wallet Case ($129-$139) features a frame carved from walnut or maple wood and covered with vegetable-tanned leather. It keeps the display safe from scratches and bumps but leaves the screen and all ports accessible.
The Leather Case ($109-$119) is a standard-style iPhone case with a wood frame and a backplate made from vegetable-tanned leather. Like the Wallet Case, the leather of the Leather Case will wear in and develop a unique look with use.
Grovemade also makes both a plain wood iPhone Case ($89 to $99) and a minimal iPhone Bumper, both designed to add minimal bulk while still protecting an iPhone. The iPhone Case uses a thin stick-on backplate combined with the iPhone Bumper to prevent dings and scratches.
All cases are available in Walnut or Maple wood and fit the iPhone 6 and later. Some of the cases are also available for the iPhone 5, 5s, and SE.
We’re giving away one case and one dock to two MacRumors readers. To enter to win, use the Rafflecopter widget below and enter an email address. Email addresses will be used solely for contact purposes to reach the winner and send the prize. You can earn additional entries by subscribing to our weekly newsletter, subscribing to our YouTube channel, following us on Twitter, or visiting the MacRumors Facebook page.
Due to the complexities of international laws regarding giveaways, only U.S. residents who are 18 years of age or older are eligible to enter. To offer feedback or get more information on the giveaway restrictions, please refer to our Site Feedback section, as that is where discussion of the rules will be redirected.
a Rafflecopter giveawayThe contest will run from today (January 27) at 11:00 a.m. Pacific Time through 11:00 a.m. Pacific Time on February 3. The winners will be chosen randomly on February 3 and will be contacted by email. The winners will have 48 hours to respond and provide a shipping address before new winners are chosen.
Tags: giveaway, Grovemade
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Review: Nanoleaf’s ‘Aurora Smarter Kit’ Offers Awesome HomeKit-Enabled Mood Lighting for $200
Nanoleaf started out in 2013 as small company offering a Kickstarter project for an energy efficient light bulb, which led to the launch of the HomeKit-enabled Nanoleaf Smarter Kit, a set of three standard-style bulbs connected by a hub.
Nanoleaf’s first HomeKit accessory worked well but was rather ordinary, something that can’t be said about its newest product, the Aurora Smarter Kit. Inspired by the aurora borealis phenomena, the Aurora is like no other HomeKit product — or lighting product — on the market.
Priced at $199, the Aurora Smarter Kit is a set of modular mood lights that can be arranged in hundreds of ways. Each triangle-shaped light can be set to a different color using the Aurora app, and movement patterns are used to create a dynamic lighting setup that’s essentially interactive art.
Design and Setup
The Aurora Smarter Kit includes nine plastic triangles with LEDs in each corner, a main connector that plugs into one of the triangles and into a standard wall socket, adhesive strips, and connectors to connect and power each triangle.
While one triangle needs to be attached to the power source (which can power up to 30 triangles), the others triangles draw power through the main triangle using small plastic connector tabs that can be placed on any side of each individual triangle. That means the triangles can be arranged in an endless number of patterns, and triangles beyond the additional nine can be added to the design.
Triangles need to be connected to one another for power, so there’s no way to split the triangles up unless you have two kits with two power panels. Some of Nanoleaf’s imagery shows the Aurora split across two walls or connected at a 90 degree angle — this is not possible at the current time. Nanoleaf tells me that flexible connectors that will allow the triangles to be placed around corners are in the works and will be released in the summertime.
Each triangle measures in at about 9.5 inches long and 8 inches on the sides, so a set of nine takes up a good amount of space on the wall depending on the arrangement. A single wire will need to snake up the wall, connecting the power panel to an outlet.
Nanoleaf recommends setting up all of the panels and testing them before attaching them to the wall, so mine went on the floor first while I picked a layout. With the Aurora, you’re going to want to invest some time in arranging the triangles into a suitable shape, because these go up on the wall using 3M adhesive strips. Once up, they’re not moving without some serious effort.
Testing the panels on the floor
I made a design on the floor and used paper guide triangles, included in the packaging, to mock it up on the wall so I could get the proper alignment. Again, with that adhesive, this is a measure twice stick once operation.
Each panel attaches to the wall using three 3M adhesive strips, one in each corner of the triangle. Hanging them on the wall took about a half hour from arranging the paper triangles to the finished product. The panels snap together as described above with the connectors, so it’s just a matter of lining everything up and pressing down to make sure it’s adequately adhered to the wall.
The triangles are made of a lightweight opaque plastic, so with three adhesive strips, they are well and truly stuck. The triangles aren’t going to slip off the wall or come down in an earthquake, and while mine have only been up for two weeks, I suspect if one strip begins to fail, the other two strips will keep it attached.
Paper mockup
All of this adhesive makes it a hassle to rearrange the panels, which is a shame. I would love to be able to change my design on a regular basis to keep it from getting stale, but unsticking the panels from the wall is a huge pain (not to mention the 3M strips can damage some paint).
On the plus side, using adhesive for attachment makes for a clean, futuristic look with just a single wire connecting the entire setup to a power source.
I started out with 12 triangles (the main kit and an extra kit Nanoleaf sent) but once I set them up on the floor, I loved the look enough that I went to Best Buy and bought another expansion kit. A week later, I bought another, so now I have 18 triangles.
Expansion kits are priced at $60 for three panels, and while that’s far from cheap, it’s on par with other lighting kits like Philips Hue. I think most people will want to buy at least one expansion kit for the Nanoleaf Aurora — nine panels feels like too few.
On the main power piece that connects to one of the triangles, there’s a power button and an additional button that allows you to manually swap through different pre-set scenes that have been established in the app. This allows the Aurora to be controlled sans iPhone, but it’s the only manual control available.
Light Output
The base Aurora module doesn’t quite put out enough light to be used as a main light source in a room (unless the room is fairly small), but it works well as a nightlight, and it does get bright enough that it can be paired with a standard lamp or two for sufficient room lighting. It’s also the perfect amount of light for watching movies or playing video games.
Because I was only expecting the Aurora to provide mood lighting, I was surprised at how bright it can get. The colors are super rich and vibrant with the brightness cranked up, or more muted and soft with the brightness turned down. I keep the brightness at about 25 percent, which is comfortable enough to provide a little light without being obtrusive.
Light output will change with the number of panels. Nine isn’t enough to light a room, but 18 goes a lot further at maximum brightness depending on the color it’s set to. I have a fairly large office and I’d compare the 18-panel Aurora setup to a standard lamp based on the amount of light output. It won’t light my office on its own, but paired with one or two lamps, it’s a good amount of light.
Maximum brightness at top, 50% brightness at center, 25% brightness at bottom
You can see the three LEDs in each corner of the Aurora panels, with the light very clearly radiating from those areas. At dimmer settings and with some color rotation patterns there’s also a noticeable flickering as the lights shift colors, most apparent when the Aurora is dimmed. It’s a little distracting, but not a deal breaker. It doesn’t appear to flicker the same way at maximum brightness, or if it does, it can’t be seen because it’s so vibrant.
Several times, I’ve noticed bright flashes of light coming from the Aurora, almost like one of the LEDs is flaring. This is definitely a bug and an irritating one — it happens at least once a day, but it doesn’t seem to impact the functionality of the light.
I leave my Aurora panels turned on all the time except for at night. They’re LED so they don’t use a lot of energy and they don’t get warm. When off, it just looks like a bunch of white plastic triangles on the wall, which isn’t as appealing as the bright colors. That’s something to keep in mind if you don’t plan to have the Aurora turned on permanently.
App and HomeKit Features
Over the last two years, Apple’s HomeKit has improved quite a bit. Adding new devices to HomeKit is almost always simple and error free, and the Aurora Smarter Kit was no exception. Setting it up consisted of powering it on, connecting to it directly via WiFi, inputting the password for my WiFi network, and scanning the HomeKit hardware code using the Nanoleaf Aurora app (the Home app – or any other HomeKit app – can also be used for this process).
It should be noted that the Aurora only works with a 2.4GHz WiFi network, so you will need to make sure you have that option set up on your router. Though the Aurora needs to connect to the 2.4GHz network, I can still control it with my iPhone connected to the 5GHz network. It works when away from home too, thanks to the HomeKit integration and an Apple TV hub.
In the early days of HomeKit, I used to have a lot of issues with new accessories causing problems with my setup, resulting in a lot of resets or inexplicable connection issues, but I haven’t had that happen in the last year. HomeKit isn’t perfect, especially when it comes to getting Siri to recognize voice commands, but it’s better than it used to be.
Siri’s interaction with the Aurora is similar to any other HomeKit-enabled light. You can use Siri to change the lights on, off, to a specific color, or to a pre-defined scene created in the Nanoleaf Aurora app.
Siri can only turn the Nanoleaf a specific color, unless you’re using scenes
Unfortunately, there’s no way to create light shows or multi-colored light setups with the Aurora outside of scenes, so you will need to use the dedicated app a lot of the time rather than Siri or Apple’s Home app.
Third-party app makers don’t always do a great job with their apps, and while Nanoleaf’s app isn’t terrible, it could use some improvement. A lot of the time when I open the Nanoleaf app I get a connection error that says the Aurora can’t be reached. This seems to be an app problem rather than an internet problem because five seconds later, the connection is fine.
The Nanoleaf app’s interface is neat. It displays a real-time view of the Aurora lights in the arrangement you’ve created and with the colors you’ve set.
Controlling the Aurora revolves around choosing a pre-existing color palette or creating a new one. Any color can be picked and added to a palette, and then that palette is used to assign a color to each triangle.
Tap a color, tap a triangle, and it shows up right on the wall. When a color palette is set, there’s an option to add several light effects to switch between the colors of your palette in various patterns.
Options include Random (randomly changes the colors of the triangles), Flow (slowly transitions between colors), Wheel (a continuous shifting gradient of colors), Highlight (like random, but with a focus on the left side of the palette), Fade (all the triangles shift between each color), and Burst (triangles shift colors from the middle out).
Brightness, movement speed, transition smoothing, and direction are also options that can be set.
All palettes can be saved as scenes that can be activated via Siri or through the Scenes section of the app. Like other HomeKit apps, the Nanoleaf app can control other HomeKit-enabled accessories, but it is limited to lights. To have the lights turn to specific scenes at pre-set times, a Schedules feature can be used.
Siri and Apple’s Home app can be used to turn the Aurora off and on, dim it, set a single solid color, or activate a scene. Individual triangles can’t be controlled via Siri or in the Home app.
Bottom Line
At $200, the Aurora Smarter Kit isn’t cheap, but its uniqueness, vibrant colors, HomeKit support, and customizable design make it worth the price. It’s almost more art than light, and while it won’t light up an entire room, it’s a perfect accent light or night light. It can be the centerpiece of a room or a subtle background accent depending on the colors and the brightness.
Not everyone is going to feel like a $200 light is a worthwhile purchase, but if you’re the kind of person who doesn’t mind shelling out a couple hundred dollars for a futuristic tech toy or a neat lighting solution, I can guarantee you’re not going to be disappointed with the Aurora.
I do wish adhesive wasn’t the solution for mounting the Aurora because it makes it difficult to rearrange panels at will (and this kind of adhesive always has the potential to damage walls), but there doesn’t seem to be an alternative option so it’s a shortcoming that has to be lived with. And it’s a downside I don’t mind tolerating for the benefits of the Aurora.
There are also some bugs and connection issues with the Nanoleaf Aurora that potential buyers should be aware of, but none of the bugs I ran into severely impacted functionality.
The Aurora is pricy, but Nanoleaf has some additions in the works like sound integration and new panel shapes, so this seems to be a system that’s going to last for long time and provide years worth of value. I’d happily use the Aurora without HomeKit integration, so that it works with Siri and the rest of my smart home products is a bonus.
Pros:
- Modular
- Expandable
- Super bright
- Can control each triangle
- HomeKit compatible
Cons:
- Requires 2.4GHz network
- Connectivity problems
- Odd LED flashes
- Flickering color transitions at low brightness
How to Buy
The Aurora Smarter Kit can be purchased from the Nanoleaf website for $199. It’s also available from Best Buy’s website and retail stores for the same price.
Nanoleaf provided MacRumors with a Nanoleaf Starter Kit and one expansion set for the purposes of this review. The author also purchased additional expansion sets.
Tags: review, Nanoleaf
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Biggest aerial photography competition shares impressive worldwide drone shots
Why it matters to you
Find some aerial inspiration with these impressive shots from the largest drone contest of 2016.
As the world reflects back on 2016, the largest aerial photography contest picked a literal reflection as the best drone image of the year. On January 24, SkyPixel, an aerial photography community run together with DJI, announced Fishermen Close the Net by Ge Zheng as the 2016 Photo of the Year.
With over 27,000 entries from 131 countries, the competition is the largest — in terms of the number of entries — aerial competition in the world, according to SkyPixel. A jury of photojournalists and travel photographers, including representatives from Time and Cone Nast Traveler, selected Zheng for the grand prize, as well as nominating first, second, and third in six different categories.
More: These could be the 9 best drone images you see all year
Zheng’s image was shot in China’s Fujian Province. SkyPixel says that the image’s reflections, colors, and aerial perspective gave the image a startling composition that earned Zheng the top prize. The reflection of the bright yellow nets creates a geometric pattern in the image, interrupted by a single fisherman in a small wooden boat.
For his work, Zheng received both a DJI Inspire 2 and a Mavic Pro drones, along with Espon Moverio BT-300 smart glasses, an Espon SureColor P400 Wide Format Photo Printer and a one-year Adobe Creative Cloud subscription.
Along with the top prize, judges also selected three winners for 360, beauty shots, and images of drones in use. Those three categories were also separated into professional and enthusiast aerial photographers. Prizes were sponsored by DJI, Epson, Adobe, Insta 360 and Ctrip as well as media partners Time, Conde Nast Traveler and FStoppers.
In addition to the juried prizes, the contest also awarded popular vote prizes to the ten images with the most votes.
The contest was open to any aerial image shot in 2016, with submissions closing on December 30.
Founded only in 2014, SkyPixel now has one million users sharing images inside the aerial photography and videography community. Along with serving as a platform for hosting and sharing aerial shots, SkyPixel also shares tips from industry experts.
The full gallery of the winners is available at SkyPixel.
Microsoft says it’s ‘happy’ with Hololens sales of just a few thousand
Why it matters to you
Hololens is not going mainstream just yet, but Microsoft should make AR more affordable in the future.
Though potential buyers voiced objections when the price for the Oculus Rift was announced at $600 rather than the low hundreds as was originally promised, the Microsoft Hololens augmented reality headset came in at a much higher $3,000 price mark. That’s certainly part of why it has only sold a few thousand units, but Microsoft claims it’s happy with sales so far.
“I can’t tell you anything about the numbers, but it’s in thousands, not hundreds of thousands, and that’s fine. That’s all we need,” said Microsoft’s Hololens commercial lead, Roger Walkden, at the BETT show in London this week (via The Inquirer).
Ultimately, he said, Microsoft isn’t “trying to sell hundreds of thousands or millions or anything. It’s expensive, and it’s not in huge numbers. So we’re happy with the level of sales that we’ve got.”
The Hololens is indeed expensive, costing as much as $5,000 if purchased by a company. It is also very much a developmental kit-level device. When we tried the augmented reality headset back in 2015, we noted that it has a limited field of view and the visuals on the AR device are not particularly sharp.
More: HoloMaps hits Microsoft’s HoloLens headset with 3D maps and remote collaboration
The plan for Hololens is much like the early VR developer kits, too, in that it’s there to help seed the market with content and allow companies to build their own augmented reality hardware and platforms. That way, as the technology becomes more mainstream, it will have a solid foundation to build from.
Walkden said as much himself, highlighting that virtual reality has taken years to get to where it is now and that it’s still in the earliest iterations of its commercial life cycle. He believes AR will be much the same way, which is why Microsoft isn’t concerned that the Hololens hasn’t taken off as well as its VR hardware brethren.
Walkden wouldn’t be drawn out on any immediate plans for AR hardware from Microsoft though, stating that the company kept that information far from him should he let slip about it. He did confirm that a roadmap does exist though, so we can likely expect much more from Microsoft in this field in the future.
Want to take a bath … with your phone? You can with the Kyocera Rafre
Why it matters to you
Smartphones can certainly be a nexus for bacteria, and this soap and water-resistant smartphone from Kyocera addresses that issue.
Ah, the shower. One of life’s simplest and yet most satisfying pleasures. If cleaning off after a long day is a renewing experience for you, it stands to reason that other entities in your life would also benefit from a nice rinse. Certainly, your phone would. After all, it goes through everything with you, and probably picks up a disturbing quantity of germs along the way. And now, you can buy a phone that can go everywhere you go — including the bath.
Meet the new Kyocera rafre, a phone that is not only water resistant, but capable of withstanding a serious scrub, complete with hot water and soap. It’s actually the second Kyocera phone to sport such capabilities, though this handset is even more advanced than its predecessor. Kyocera first introduced a washable phone back in December of 2015, but has apparently improved its wash-resistant skills in the last couple years.
More: Watch one of Dubai’s flying firefighters tackle ‘blaze’ with water-powered jetpack
Of course, if you’re looking to buy this phone for its actual technical specs, you won’t be too impressed. It’s got a 3,000mAh battery, runs Android 7.0 Nougat, features 2GB RAM, and has a 5-inch HD display. But of course, you’re probably just buying this phone for bragging rights, right?
Alas, the Kyocera Rafre will only be available in Japan when it launches in March, so if you’re an American with a need for a web-surfing bubble-bath companion, you’re going to have to look for something other than a smartphone. That said, if the Rafre proves popular in its home country (and why wouldn’t it?) it may make its way around the globe.
It’s unclear as of yet what pricing will look like, but we do know the phone will be available in pale pink, clear white, and light blue.
Acer will pay $115K settlement following major security breach
Why it matters to you
The scenario that led to this breach demonstrates the paramount importance of proper security practices when it comes to ecommerce.
In June 2016, Acer announced that a security breach pertaining to its online storefront serving North America had resulted in thousands of users’ personal data being compromised. Now, the New York attorney general’s office has confirmed that the company will pay $115,000 in penalties, following an in-depth investigation into the error.
It’s been discovered that an Acer employee enabled debugging mode on the company’s ecommerce platform between July 2015 and April 2016, according to a report from Engadget. This setting caused all personal data provided by customers via web forms to be saved to an unencrypted, plain-text log file.
The information offered up included full names, credit card numbers, expiration dates, verification numbers, user names and passwords for the site, email addresses, and full street addresses including ZIP codes. Customers would obviously need to submit this data to carry out a transaction on the website, but it’s easy to imagine how malicious entities could use it to commit acts of fraud.
More: Acer looks to appeal to the education market with its Chromebook Spin 11
Furthermore, there’s confirmation that the Acer website was misconfigured such that unauthorized users could browse its directory. Attackers could access subdirectories from a web browser, according to a release published by the attorney general’s office.
The investigation has found that 35,000 users based in the United States, Canada, and Puerto Rico had their information stolen as a result of the breach. At least one hacking group has been confirmed to have exploited the site’s vulnerabilities to obtain this data between November 2015 and April 2016.
As well as the $115,000 settlement, Acer will be required to enforce several new security policies intended to ensure that these mistakes aren’t repeated. The company will have to deliver yearly employee training about data security and customer privacy, and designate a specific employee to be notified whenever customer data is stored without encryption, among a list of other stipulations.
‘Pokémon Go’ may receive a second wearable to combat safety concerns
Why it matters to you
While the biggest wave of Pokemon Go popularity has faded, Nintendo seems to have no plans to cease support as it considers this new wearable.
The Pokémon Company has teased the possibility of a second wearable designed for use in conjunction with Pokémon Go. The proposed peripheral will apparently make it safer for players to go on a Pokémon hunt in the great outdoors.
Unlike most smartphone games, Pokémon Go is intended to be played out in the real world, as players are tasked with scouring their immediate surroundings for rare monsters. This means that there’s potential for budding Pokémon trainers to cause themselves physical injury while they’re distracted by what’s going on in-game.
Shortly after the game was released in July 2016, one player crashed his car into a school building while playing the game. A month later, Japanese authorities reported the first fatality thought to have been caused by the app. Needless to say, this isn’t what the developers had in mind when they created a game that encourages players to go outside and be active.
More: How to use Pokémon Bank to transfer old Pokémon to Sun and Moon
There was an attempt to assuage these kinds of issues in the form of Pokémon Go Plus, a wearable that was released in September 2016. The device allowed players to catch Pokémon without looking at the screen of their smartphone — instead, they could simply press a button on the wristwatch-like peripheral.
However, there are apparently plans for a second wearable that will hopefully reduce the risk to players even further, according to a report from Gamespot. “Together with Nintendo, we are thinking of developing a new device that can be played more safely,” said Tsunekazu Ishihara, president of the Pokémon Company.
It’s certainly admirable to see Nintendo and the Pokémon Company take the lead in an effort to cut down on accidents caused by Pokémon Go. Let’s hope that players who would otherwise get distracted while playing the game will make use of any devices offered them to make things safer.
Delete your antivirus, says ex-Firefox developer — who claims it’s worthless
Why it matters to you
You might be safer online if you delete your anti-virus software and just use Windows Defender, according to one expert.
Although installing anti-virus is still one of the first steps that most would recommend you do with a new PC build, it turns out not everyone subscribes to that line of thinking. Ex-Mozilla developer Robert O’Callahan has gone so far as to say that anyone running the latest version of Windows 10 should delete it, as it risks creating more vulnerabilities than it protects against.
O’Callahan left the Mozilla Foundation in mid-2016, but worked there for many years, helping develop the Firefox browser, and more recently was involved with research into the “rr” record and replay debugging tool. In short, he knows his stuff, enough that when he says we don’t need something as seemingly essential as anti-virus, it’s worth taking notice.
This isn’t to say that O’Callahan believes security on a PC platform is worthless. Indeed he makes a specific claim that Microsoft’s anti-malware software, like Windows Defender, is a must. But as for everything else? He genuinely believes that it’s a waste of time and in a worse case scenario, may actually make your system more vulnerable than if you had nothing installed at all.
More: Protect your PC from the cyber-flu with these awesome free antivirus options
As an example of why this is the case, he highlighted bugs that Google’s Project Zero vulnerability team have discovered in antivirus software. At the time of writing that appears to be just one, though the illustration does somewhat argue his point: if antivirus itself can have security vulnerabilities and doesn’t do enough to ward against others, is it really necessary?
O’Callahan truly believes that it isn’t, citing one particular instance on his Eyes Above The Waves blog, where Firefox updates of yesteryear would be blocked by overzealous antivirus software. That meant that important security patches would not be delivered to users in a timely manner, all because they were using third-party anti-virus software.
He even goes so far as to highlight why it is he’s only speaking about this “now that [he’s] left Mozilla for a while.” It’s because software developers need the cooperation of anti-virus makers, since if they were to tarnish a software’s name with the idea that it’s insecure or a tool for malware in its own right, that could have a massively negative effect on the developers’ business.
While we might not go so far as to advocate uninstalling your anti-malware solution, we have run into issues of our own where anti-virus software blocked legitimate patches and updates from being applied. Have you guys encountered anything similar over the years?
Bitesnap uses machine learning to figure out how healthy a meal is based on pics
Why it matters to you
Getting a quick take on your health has never been easier now that apps can leverage AI and machine learning to interpret your images.
Instagram is already littered with photos of food, but thanks to a new app, you may be taking pictures of your meal for a slightly less … social reason. In order to help you make smarter decisions about what you’re putting in your body, there’s a new app in town that leverages artificial intelligence. Meet Bitesnap from Bite AI, which uses machine learning to determine what food items are in your latest food photo, and subsequently tells you how many calories you’re consuming.
Not only does Bitesnap identify the foot item on your plate, it also does some pretty impressive work as far as figuring out how much of it is actually there. And it’ll give you more than just caloric data — rather, you can get a full breakdown of all your macros using the app. You can check out a pie chart of your carbohydrate, protein, and fat consumption, and set (or adjust) your targets to help you achieve your fitness goals.
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Of course, to get a better, more holistic view of your health, you can also enter your weight, height, and calculate your BMI in the app. This can actually help Bitesnap determine what your ideal food intake ought to be. The app can even remind you when to eat (in case that’s somehow a problem for you).
Currently, the app is available on both the iOS App Store and Google Play, though it doesn’t look as though integrations with wearables are yet available. That said, it’s still relatively new, so these updates could be coming soon. The app itself is free, and the reviews thus far have been quite positive. So if you’re looking for a way to make good on your health-related New Year’s resolutions, this app just may be able to help.
AIVAnet 