Brits can soon plead guilty and pay fines for petty crimes online

As part of new plans, UK criminals accused of minor offenses will soon be able to plead guilty and receive their sentence online. In a government report published today, the Lord Chancellor and Secretary of State for Justice acknowledged that letting defendants accept their conviction online and letting them pay a pre-determined penalty (including fines and legal costs) upfront would free up magistrates and courts so that they can focus on more complex cases.

“Under this proposal, defendants who opt in to the online procedure and plead guilty will be offered the option to accept a pre-determined penalty (including the payment of any appropriate compensation and costs), be convicted and pay the amount immediately,” said the report.

The system would cover non-imprisonable offences like railway fare evasion, tram fare evasion and possession of unlicensed rod and line (fishing without a licence). The damages, commonly referred to as statutory fixed fine, would instead be called a statutory standard penalty in order to cover other elements such as a victim surcharge — which provides compensation for the victims of crime — prosecution and compensation costs.

While respondents supported the proposal and acknowledged that online sentencing would work for “straightforward cases,” some worried that it could remove that person’s right to defend themselves in open court, which might contravene their human rights (the right to a fair trial). Ministers believe that by focusing on low-level crimes that have “no identifiable victim,” where cases are wholly uncontested, the courts can process without delay.

If a defendant is able to offer mitigating circumstances or pleads not guilty, the case would be heard in court by default. Also, it’s an opt in process, meaning a court hearing will always be available. The report also clearly states that criminals will “not [be] sentenced by a computer or algorithm.” It’s simply a way for minor offences that carry standard penalties to be settled online.

If successful, the government intends to settle other minor offences in the same fashion, including certain road offences. “We will need to look at these individually and in detail and consider sentencing practice before identifying exactly which ones are likely to be appropriate. We will produce an updated Impact Assessment once we establish which offences we will trial the new process with.”

Via: Huffington Post UK

Source: Ministry of Justice (PDF)

UberEats is now available in Manchester

Uber is taking on Deliveroo, slowly. The company’s food delivery service, UberEats, is now available in Manchester, following a gradual expansion in London that now includes a breakfast service. The northwest city is an obvious target for the company, given its large population size and the number of big-name restaurants and cafes nearby. The service will be live seven days a week, from 11am to 11pm (so no brekkie option just yet) in “city centre hotspots” such as the Northern Quarter and Spinningfields. Deliveroo is already active in the city, so Uber will need to fight hard to win over customers. Good thing hyper-aggressive expansions are its forte.

Hello Manchester! The new UberEATS app has arrived. Explore local menus: https://t.co/8fU2eW7u51 #UberEATS pic.twitter.com/rCSdvgZmqv

— Uber UK (@UberUK) February 9, 2017

Source: Uber (Blog Post)

Apple Posts Job Listings For Retail Store in the Austrian Capital of Vienna

Apple has begun advertising for staff positions at a planned retail store in the Austrian capital of Vienna. As noted by German tech site Flo’s Weblog, multiple front-of-store job listings recently appeared on Apple’s site, suggesting that the company’s presence in the upmarket shopping street of Kärntner Straße isn’t too far away.

Reports that Apple was planning to open a brick-and-mortar store in Austria first emerged in August, when local newspaper derStandard reported that the company was close to securing the necessary contracts on a flagship retail property formerly occupied by fashion company Esprit.

Image: Signa
Construction at the three-floor premises began in November, according to reports. The distinctive corner location makes the property an unmistakeable feature of the old town, and a typical premier site for a brand like Apple.

Kärntner Straße is in close proximity to Stephansplatz, the square at the geographical center of Vienna and home to the Stephansdom cathedral, one of the tallest churches in the world.

Tags: Austria, Apple retail
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Apple Exploring Data Sharing Gestures For Future Wearable Devices

Apple is exploring ways to make information sharing between wearables and mobile devices as simple as a wave of the hand, if a new patent application is anything to go by (via AppleInsider).

Published by the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office, an Apple filing for “Gesture-based information exchange between devices in proximity” describes a secure data transfer system between two portable devices that works by detecting customizable gestures, or “greeting events”, such as handshakes, high-fives, hugs, fist bumps, bows, waves, and salutes.

The gestures trigger a customizable data set that takes into account device context, with a particular focus on privacy and security. For example, in all cases, users must select the pre-defined gestures to allow the transfer of specific information only between the two devices, reducing the possibility of unintentionally sharing data with other devices in close proximity.

Information shared can be stored either locally or in the cloud, and can include most data fit for transfer across a wireless connection, such as contact details, photos, media files, calendar events, and so on. Greeting events can also generate data for sharing across social media, such as a Twitter post that announces a meeting between two users.

The sophisticated customization features of the system are of particular note, since they allow users to decide beforehand what kind of information is shared, and with whom, based on pre-defined contextual parameters, such as encountering someone for the first time, versus meeting a family member or an old friend. Device identifiers, location data, and user histories are all corralled in order to enhance the reliability and security of the system.

On another security note, the patent describes the use of cryptographic keys to identify individual sharing sessions, which can be either automated or user-initiated via an on-screen interface, with the possibility of using artificial intelligence-managed sharing under the hood.

As always with patents, the invention may or may not be used in-house or in a product, but the document offers another example of Apple’s commitment to simplifying close-proximity data sharing while also paying particular attention to the security and privacy implications of such systems.

Tag: patent
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A Decade of Smartphones: The State of the Mobile World Today

Ten years have passed since the gadget that changed the way we look at portable communication. I’m talking about the first iPhone, of course, a handset that didn’t bring many revolutionary changes to the phone hardware itself but brought forth fundamental changes in the way we think of smartphones. The decade that has passed ever since has seen the smartphone evolving at an incredible pace. Its screen has grown, and so did its processing power, its capabilities, and its storage space. The effects of the smartphone were widespread: its insane success has sped up the development of mobile broadband, batteries, compact cameras, and many others. Besides, the smartphone has spawned completely new industries, bringing forward the “app”, a brand new business model combining the traits of products and services.

Today, a decade after its advent, the smartphone has reached the apogee of its evolution – at least in its current form. This leaves us with a pressing question: should we still believe the hype of futuretech?

Collateral businesses

A smartphone in itself can’t do much more than a dumb one. It needs applications – apps – to expand its capabilities. These apps come in many shapes and sizes: some of them need to be downloaded and installed on a smartphone, much like in the case of a desktop computer. Others, like the Euro Palace Mobile, “live” inside web browser windows on any device capable of connecting to the internet. Both of them have their advantages – the games at the Euro Palace are far less hardware-hungry than their downloadable counterparts, yet they lack their access to the phones’ hardware and their scalability. This doesn’t make playing at the Euro Palace any less fun, only more accessible and fast.

The rise of the smartphone has led to the emergence of many new industries, centered around its portability. Apps and games are aware of the users’ whereabouts, and offer them the right information at the right time. Games incorporate the players’ surroundings, mixing reality with virtuality. These apps and games have created tens of thousands of jobs, billions in revenues, and brand new ways for us to use the smartphone.

The state of the mobile world today

When it comes to hardware, smartphones can’t really get much better than what we have today. Eight processing cores, gigabytes of RAM, hundreds of gigabytes of storage, extremely fast mobile broadband connections, amazing cameras, batteries with an ever-increasing capacity, and graphics that match today’s top gaming consoles – these have all been created today. If smartphones follow the same direction, they will have nothing spectacular to offer this year. Now the time has come for new, meaningful uses for them to be invented – and this change will be brought forward by software developers who dare to dream big.

KeepVid Pro video downloader: Download any video from the web – including YouTube

Ever watch a YouTube video or some other type of online clip and wish you could save it?

Well, now you can, thanks to KeepVid Pro, a tool that allows you to grab videos from more than 10,000 video-sharing sites, including YouTube. It not only downloads videos in their original format, whether that be MP4, 3GP, FLV, or WebM, but also lets you convert them to a different format, such as AVI, MKV, WMV, etc. You can even use KeepVidPro to capture 4K videos from online sites or your screen.

Here’s everything you need to know about KeepVid Pro.

What is KeepVid Pro?

KeepVid Pro is described as the “ultimate video downloader” tool. It allows you to download videos from video-sharing sites, capture streaming videos from online sites, capture an entire browser or window or a specific part of your screen, record live video while simultaneously capturing, convert videos to different formats, and transfer videos to your Android or iOS device.

The primary feature is the ability to grab any video online. Just click “Download” on the top right corner of your browser (thanks to the plugin you download) to download the video. Alternatively, you can copy the URL of the video that you wish to download and click the paste button in your browser to begin downloading. You can also click “Record Video” in the downloader to capture videos you’re watching.

Which sites does KeepVid Pro support?

You can download videos from YouTube, Dailymotion, Hulu, Break, Metacafe, BlipTV, Vimeo, AOL, Lynda, MegaVideo, Veoh, VideoBash, LiveLeak, MyVideo, FunnyOrDie, Nico Video, TV.com, Veevr, Adobe TV, and more than 10,000 other sites.

• See the full list of supported sites here (PDF)

Which formats does KeepVid Pro support?

KeepVid Pro can download videos in and convert videos to more than 150 formats, including MP4, 3GP, FLV, WebM, AVI, MKV, WMV, etc.

• See the full list of supported formats here

Is KeepVid Pro for Mac and PC?

Yes. It is available Windows PC machines running Windows 10/8/7/Vista/XP, as well as Intel-based Mac (32-bit or 64-bit) running 10.6 Snow Leopard, 10.7 Lion, 10.8 Mountain Lion, 10.9 Mavericks, 10.10 Yosemite and 10.11 EI Captain.

Which browsers does KeepVid Pro support?

You need to be using one of the following browsers in order to download videos and capture using KeepVid Pro: Safari 6.0 and above, Firefox 15.0 and above, and Chrome 22.0 and above.

What else does KeepVid Pro feature?

With KeepVid Pro, you can directly download videos into MP3s, download entire video playlists, download in 4K and Full HD, schedule tasks and multi-task your downloads, and even download subtitles for YouTube videos. It is available as a browser plugin and integrates with your browser to let you search for and download content.

KeepVid Pro can also download youtube playlists or video playlists in batch and build multiple tasks, download youtube video subtitles, and lets you embed Integrated Browser to Search and Download Online.

How much does KeepVid Pro cost?

You can try KeepVid Pro for free via the trial offering, but you can also purchase a one-year, lifetime, or family license for $19, $29, and $72.50 (on sale), respectively, to unlock all features.

• Go here to learn more about pricing for Macs and PCs

Want to know more?

Grab this free YouTube-to-MP3 downloader tool: http://keepvid.com. Also, KeepVid Pro has a handy support hub with detailed guides on how to use the software.

Evernote is getting faster thanks to Google’s Cloud Platform

You might see Evernote’s pages load faster than usual going forward, now that the service is almost fully done moving 3 petabytes of data to Google Cloud Platform. The team only has to transfer some user attachments before the migration is complete. Once that’s done, then the service will have a new layer of protection called “encryption at rest,” which protects your data even if it’s not being accessed or moved. Further, GCP provides better disaster recovery planning that will make it easier for Evernote to recover data in case of a major mishap.

Ben McCormack, Evernote’ VP of operations told PC World:

“We have seen page loading times reducing quite significantly across some parts of our application. I wouldn’t say it’s everywhere yet, but we are starting to see that benefit of the Google power and the Google reach in terms of bridging traffic over their global fiber network.”

After the company signed a contract with the tech titan in October 2016, the big G sent over a team of engineers to help with the transition. It only took the combined team 70 days to move the bulk of Evernote’s data, when it would’ve typically taken nine months to a year to move such a huge amount of information. The note-taking service compared the feat to “moving enough content to fill up 10+ copies of all the books ever published in all of modern history.”

Evernote has its own data center, but its executives decided to move to the cloud because the company has quite a small team. They’ve been having a hard time getting consumer-facing features done on time when they also have to maintain the data centers. “We were always going to be playing catch-up,” McCormack said, “and it’s just a crazy situation to be in.”

As for why the company chose Google instead of Amazon’s Web Services or Microsoft’s Azure, it’s all because Evernote is developing a new set of features based on machine learning. The big G’s pitch focused on how its offerings like the Cloud Machine Learning API can help Evernote develop those capabilities and achieve its goal. The note-taking service is alpha testing some of Google’s upcoming services, as well, so you can expect new capabilities based around those in the future.

Source: Evernote, PC World

B&O Play Announce $299 Wireless Beoplay H4 Headphones With Apple Watch App

Bang & Olufsen brand subsidiary B&O Play has announced a new pair of wireless headphones called the Beoplay H4, which “focus on pure essentials”.

At $299, the over-ear Bluetooth headphones offer a less costly alternative to the company’s pricier wireless models, like the the H8 and H9, and instead of a touch interface they feature traditional physical buttons to control volume and playback.

The headphones adopt B&O Play’s signature premium braided textile and aluminum construction, and come with lambskin-covered memory foam ear pads for comfort and isolation.

B&O Play says the headset can be used for up to 19 hours on a single charge (via micro-USB) and can also be used wired with the 3.5mm jack and provided cable. An omnidirectional mic is built in for taking calls.

The listening experience can be tweaked using the Beoplay app and the H4’s also offer an Apple Watch app for adjusting settings from the wrist.

The Beoplay H4 are available to buy now from the Beoplay website for $299.

Tag: Bang & Olufsen
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SpaceX is delivering a lethal superbug to the ISS (it’s OK, the astronauts know about it)

Why it matters to you

The space-based experiment could lead to a major breakthrough with the potential to help us all.

SpaceX is just days away from launching a dangerous bacterium toward the International Space Station (ISS).

Fortunately the folks aboard the ISS know about it, and will be ready to receive it when it arrives next week.

The special delivery will be used for a space-based science experiment aimed at helping researchers better understand the impact of near-zero gravity on gene expression and mutation patterns, Forbes reported.

The pathogen, that fingers-crossed won’t wreak havoc on the ISS and inspire a hellish horror movie about a lethal pathogen wreaking havoc on the ISS, is methicillin-resistant staphylococcus aureus, better known by its shorter “superbug” name: MRSA.

For those not in the know, MRSA is resistant to many widely used antibiotics and therefore can be tricky to treat effectively, making it a serious threat to public health. That’s why scientists are desperate to find a way to deal with it.

Lead researcher Dr. Anita Goel believes that the near-zero gravity environment aboard the space station could cause the mutation rate of MRSA to accelerate.

While that may sound like more fodder for the horror flick that they probably won’t make, the acceleration would give scientists the opportunity to stay ahead of the unfolding MRSA situation on Earth, as they’ll be able to glimpse mutation patterns that are yet to occur back on the ground.

“Our work in microgravity on the ISS is both very practical and fundamental,” Goel told Forbes. “We are pushing the envelope of personalized, precision medicine, enabling better prediction of drug resistance and hence smarter drugs.”

It’s an exciting time for Goel and her team, with the space station experiments potentially leading to a significant breakthrough in the study and handling of MRSA. With more than 80,000 invasive MRSA infections and some 11,000 related deaths occurring in the U.S. every year, such a breakthrough can’t come soon enough.

B&O Play wireless Beoplay H4 headphones come with Apple Watch control

B&O Play, Bang & Olufsen’s full and funky consumer brand, has launched a wireless pair of Beoplay H4 headphones.

They have been “designed from the ground up” using lambskin, braided textile and aluminium and are now available from the Beoplay online store for £249.

The lambskin leather covers the earcups and headband, while memory inside the cups conforms to the shape of your ear. It forms passive noise isolation rather than noise cancelling, but should still keep plenty of ambient sounds out – and the music in.

The aluminium elements are polished and anodised, with a laser etched logo.

B&O Play

They pair to your iOS or Android device using Bluetooth, with a dedicated Beoplay App available that can personalise your listening experience. The app is also available for Apple Watch, so you can adjust settings from your wrist too.

You can change the tonality and sound staging from the app, which is stored on the headphones until your change the settings again. This ensures you can still use the Beoplay H4 even when you don’t have your Watch or mobile device to hand. A 3.5mm jack and cable are supplied for wired use too.

Battery life is claimed to last up to 19 hours on a single charge, which generally takes two-and-a-half hours. The app also monitors battery life so you know when to charge the headphones.