Microsoft’s Surface Laptop is a Trojan horse to sneak Windows 10 S into your life

Until now, Microsoft has made it perfectly clear what each one of its Surface machines is meant to accomplish. The Surface Pro is the tablet that can replace your notebook. The Surface Book is the notebook that can replace your tablet. And the Surface Studio is the desktop PC that can turn your office into a creative studio.

Today’s introduction of the Surface Laptop isn’t so clear. While the machine is obviously Microsoft’s newest halo product, this time for the traditional notebook market, the company has raised more questions than answers by introducing it along with the education-focused Windows 10 S.

Windows 10 S and the Surface Laptop – For education, or not?

At first glance, Windows 10 S serves an obvious and timely purpose. It’s a version of Windows 10 that Microsoft can position as the educational alternative to Google’s lightweight Chromebook platform. Working with its partner OEMs, Microsoft can now offer solutions that combine extremely low-cost hardware with a version of Windows 10 that’s easier to manage, starts up faster, and comes bundled with other software like Minecraft: Education Edition, and Office 365 for Education.

Sounds great, right?

Yet the Surface Laptop flies in the face of that strategy. It’s certainly not an inexpensive machine, with a starting price of $999, that tops out at $2,199. That’s high-end notebook territory. In fact, it looks like a direct competitor to the Apple MacBook and MacBook Pro, not to mention Microsoft’s own Surface Book.

In short, the Surface Laptop is not a machine that schools are going to purchase in bulk to build into computers-on-wheels (COWs) and cart from classroom to classroom. School IT administrators aren’t likely to hand them over to students, who won’t care about staining the Alcantara fabric lining the keyboard deck, or cracking the 13.5-inch PixelSense 3:2 display.

And yet, according to Microsoft, the Surface Laptop was “Designed for Windows 10 S,” an operating system that by the company’s own admission is intended to offer less functionality in the name of better security and easier administration – not enhanced productivity and power.

Laptop, or Trojan horse?

A skeptical geek might look at Windows 10 S and assume that it’s the beginning of an effort to compel people to download all their apps from the Windows Store. Office 365 is making its way there right now, and it’s possible that the standalone version of Office could eventually disappear. Toss in the fact that Windows 10 S doesn’t allow users to change the default browser from Edge, and the future doesn’t look bright.

In fact, Windows 10 S starts to look like a Trojan horse. Its focus on education makes its limitations excusable, glossing over fundamental changes to how the operating system works. Yet the operating system is bundled into a high-end laptop that many people will desire. The hope, it seems, is that users will give Microsoft’s vision of a Store-centric, Edge-centric, Bing-centric Windows a second chance.

The company knows that it can’t simply pivot Windows all at once, so it’s instead sneaking in Windows 10 S under the pretense of a purpose-built Windows incarnation. Then, if Microsoft decides to shift other versions of Windows in the same direction, then the company can say it’s because people loved the Surface Laptop.

Of course, Microsoft could easily shift to Windows 10 Pro on the Surface Laptop without any fanfare, and write the change off to customer preference. It could also offer new configurations with an upcharge to Windows 10 Pro, leaving Windows 10 S as a budget option. These escape strategies would allow Microsoft to smooth over poor reception as nothing more than a misstep.

Even if that happens, however, it would be foolish to pass Windows 10 S off as a blip, an experiment, or a merely niche branch of mainstream Windows. While Microsoft talks about education in this light, it seems to be forming a shadowy plan to transition Windows into a tighter, more locked-down operating system — one where browser choice, search engine choice, and application choice are no longer up to user preference.

It’s a plan that would indeed make the operating system more secure and easier to use, but it’s also one that would have many howling “the sky is falling!” – and, perhaps, for good reason. Whatever its fate, Windows 10 S and the Surface Laptop have shown us Microsoft’s darkest desires.

A newly developed chemical could ‘reprogram’ your body to be more fit

Why it matters to you

Time will tell if this exercise pill can be adaptable for human consumption.

As anyone who has been inspired to hit the gym after watching the Olympics will know, building stamina and endurance is not the easiest of things. A new research project carried out by scientists at Salk Institute for Biological Studies in La Jolla, California suggests that it could be a whole lot easier, however.

Well, if you’re a mouse, at least!

In the study, scientists gave regular mice an eight-week course of a chemical called GW1516. Usually abbreviated as ‘GW,’ this compound directly activates a protein in the body called PPARD, which is naturally activated by exercise training. After their dose of GW, the mice were able to run on an exercise wheel for 270 minutes before showing signs of fatigue. Mice that did not receive the drug were able to run on the wheel for just 160 minutes.

The research is described in the new issue of the journal Cell Metabolism.

“There are two main points in our study that make it very interesting,” Weiwei Fan, a molecular biologist at Salk Institute, told Digital Trends. “First is the discovery of a new mechanism that explains how exercise training remodels muscle and increases endurance. Secondly, we can introduce such exercise-mimicking effects in animals solely with a chemical compound.”

The research builds on previous investigations involving GW1516 that Salk scientists have carried out. One demonstrated that a four-week course of GW helped mice control their weight and insulin response, making them less likely to become diabetic. This new experiment adds another “superpower” for the GW compound.

Before you get too excited, though, it is worth noting that the chemical is not yet ready to cross over to human test subjects. There is still plenty more to be explored before this option is even put on the table.

“Our next step is to develop the next-generation PPARD activators with a better safety profile, and explore their therapeutic potentials against common health problems such as obesity, diabetes, fatty liver disease, and muscular dystrophy,” Fan continued.

Maybe we will hold off on our new gym membership until then!

Hundreds of apps on the Google Play Store are vulnerable to open port attacks

Why it matters to you

If you have an Android phone, make sure to keep all the apps updated, or else you could be susceptible to hacks.

Another day, another Android vulnerability discovered. Researchers at the University of Michigan have discovered more than 400 apps that are vulnerable to open port malware attacks. All of the apps are found on Google Play, and many of them have tens of millions of installs so far.

In other words, millions of Android users are currently at risk of an attack — though we don’t yet know if anyone has been affected as a result of the vulnerability.

To identify the vulnerable apps, researchers used a custom tool to analyze hundreds of thousands of apps on the Google Play Store. As a result of the analysis, 410 apps were identified as vulnerable to open port attacks. In those apps, there were just shy of a thousand total exploits. Which app are affected is not yet known, but the researchers indicate that the vulnerabilities have been reported to developers, which means most, if not all, of the vulnerabilities will be patched in the near future.

So what exactly is an open port attack? Put simply, an open port is a tiny vulnerability in the apps code that acts like a crack in a wall, allowing hackers to get in and gain access to user data and eventually remotely install malware onto the phone.

Unfortunately, we may never know exactly what apps are affected and how to protect ourselves in this specific case, but there are always a few things you can do to minimize your risk of being hacked. For example, never download apps that aren’t from the Google Play Store. Not all apps are safe — but at least you won’t be downloading apps with malware in the code. You should also generally stick to well-known developers on the Google Play Store, as they’ll often be more serious about developing safe apps.

Allo adds three more features that probably won’t be enough to make you use it

Google keeps on trying, but nobody seems to be buying.

Google’s chat app Allo is picking up three solid features today, and though there hasn’t been an official announcement we have word by way of Allo’s Head of Product, Amit Fulay, on Twitter. The new features of group incognito chats, chat backups and in-line link previews, were all previously rumored to be launching soon.

New features in #GoogleAllo rolling out today! Chat backup/restore, incognito mode for groups and link preview pic.twitter.com/v7uc3unGkG

— Amit Fulay (@amitfulay) May 3, 2017

Group incognito chats are probably the most interesting addition as many continue to argue about the best way for Google to handle chat data while also providing groups with interesting information from Google’s back-end. Per Fulay’s screenshot, he confirms that the group chats can have a set expiration time as well.

Still using Allo? Keep hanging in there.

Full chat backups are also interesting for those who are used to archiving their groups, and Fulay confirms these are complete chat backups including images, videos and links. The backups will be stored in Google Drive for you to hold onto as you wish.

The new features haven’t arrived on our devices just yet, although the Play Store listing for Allo does indicate it was updated today. If you’re still hanging on with Allo in hopes that fresh features will make it your ultimate chat app, this is at least a good sign of some sort.

Pokémon Go users on Android can soon redeem promo codes

The feature is exclusive to Android users for the time being.

There are still a ton of Pokémon Go masters-in-training out there attempting to virtually catch ’em all. And there is good news specifically for those playing the game on Android: not only is there a Pokémon Go update rumored to arrive this week, but apparently there’s a promo code feature that’s coming with the update, too.

Per BGR, a support page on the official Pokémon Go website explicitly points to a walkthrough of how the aforementioned promo codes work.

At present, there are no available codes, but the support page states that they can be redeemed for Poké balls, lures, lucky eggs, and other treats available in the game. Also, the feature is exclusively available to Android users for the time being. No word on when it will make it to iOS devices.

Pokémon Go

• Pokémon Go Game Guide!
• Pokémon Go Gen 2 FAQ
• Pokémon Go tips and tricks
• How to deal with GPS errors in-game
• How to play without killing your battery
• Join our Pokémon Go forums!

Google Docs spam is making the rounds, so take heed before you read

Even attachments from legitimate sources appear to contain illegitimate vibes.

Update

After looking at a few of these and seeing investigations from others on Twitter, we have a clearer picture of what’s happening.

It appears that a third party developer has created a service that uses your Google login to authenticate. Somehow this service was able to use the name Google Docs. Attachments that need you to authorize this service are being sent using previously phished Google accounts, and upon clicking you’ll be asked to give access to things like reading and sending an email (so more phishing emails can be sent) as well as access to your account. While this should be a huge red flag to anyone, it’s likely working well for the people doing the account phishing.

Google is aware so we expect this to stop being a thing shortly. For now, don’t authorize any service and visit your MyAccount page and disconnect access to anything named Google Docs

The original post is below.

Have you checked social media lately? There’s a bit of buzz making the rounds about Google Docs spam popping up in people’s inboxes. The spam comes as an email attachment from even the most legitimate Google Docs users, including educational institutions and other professional organizations that rely on the document-storing cloud service.

MASSIVE phishing attempt via @Google Docs going on right now!! If you get invited to open a doc, DON’T CLICK IT!

— Chad Wingerd (@chadwingerd) May 3, 2017

I just got an email from my daughter’s school, with malware embedded in a Google Doc. I can’t help but like Google even less now.

— Vernon E. L. Smith (@VernonEL) May 3, 2017

Here’s your official public service announcement to please check the attachments before you open them; Check the address of the person who sent it, and maybe even give the person a call to ask if they sincerely meant to send along a PDF.

There are very few details about what the malware contained actually does and where it originated, but we’ve reached out to Google for more information.

Ecobee’s Alexa thermostat is essentially a wall-mounted Echo

If you’re Ecobee and you have to compete against an Alphabet-backed heavyweight like Nest in the smart home space, what do you do? Simple: add built-in voice control that Nest can’t currently match. The new Ecobee4 thermostat incorporates Amazon’s Alexa. That gives you hands-off control over your home’s climate, of course (such as saying when you’re away), but it also turns your thermostat into a sort of wall-mounted Echo — you can use just about any Alexa skill that makes sense. If you want to set a reminder or fetch a recipe, you might not need a separate device.

The Ecobee4 will go on sale May 15th for $249, the same regular price as Nest’s thermostat. Alexa will also be present in a light switch due later in 2017.

This won’t matter too much if you already have an Echo, Google Home or some other device that already gives you voice control. However, this is a big deal for the mainstream. Many people are only just encountering connected home tech for the first time, and even those that are familiar might balk at the idea of needing both a smart thermostat and a speaker to go hands-free. Ecobee is effectively promising both crowds a simple solution: buy this one device and you get both temperature control and a Star Trek-like smart home hub. And for Amazon, this could help make Alexa a truly central part of the smart home, not just a nice-to-have feature.

Via: TechCrunch

Source: Ecobee (1), (2)

SpaceX plans to deliver global satellite internet in 2019

Last November, SpaceX asked the FCC for permission to launch 4,425 satellites to provide high speed internet around the globe. While current satellite internet can be slow and high-latency, the Elon Musk-founded company promises its proposed service will be much better thanks to custom satellites deployed into low-Earth orbit. In a Senate hearing today on US Broadband infrastructure, SpaceX’s vice president of government affairs Patricia Cooper explained the company’s plan, which includes its intention to begin launch operations in 2019.

SpaceX hopes to start testing its satellites before the end of this year and continuing through the early months of 2018. If that’s successful, the company plans to launch satellites in phases between 2019 and 2024, after which the system will be at full capacity. SpaceX plans to launch the system with its Falcon 9 rocket, which has been successfully launched and landed with an eye toward re-usability. The entire system, said Cooper, is meant to provide a high volume of broadband capacity at “fiber-like” speeds over a wide area. The company says it’s designed its system to be highly adaptable, too, with the ability to “steer dynamically a large pool of beams to focus capacity where it is needed.” The company also promises that its system will be cost-effective.

Cooper concluded her remarks with specific recommendations for current and future regulations, including those that require NGSO systems to launch within six years of licensure. These regulations were written more than 20 years ago, the company argues, and should not apply to modern systems like the one SpaceX is proposing. The company would also like to see more of the national funding for broadband projects. Cooper mentioned that only 1.5 percent of all funds appropriated for broadband infrastructure had been awarded to satellite systems. In addition, SpaceX would like the Senate to reward systems that promote efficient spectrum use, revise specific policies around the use of satellite-specific spectrums and to streamline the licensing process for the same. Oh, and “modernize” the FAA commercial launch regulations, which would allow for more launches per year than is currently allowed.

Having a ton of satellites close to Earth providing broadband internet to anyone regardless of location certainly sounds fantastic, and a solid step forward for an increasingly internet-reliant populace. Still, without more specific timelines and operational details, it’s hard to get too excited, even though we secretly are.

Via: Ars Technica

Source: Senate Remarks, SpaceX’s Patricia Cooper

Amazon’s next comedy series stars Danny DeVito and Jeff Goldblum

In case it wasn’t already clear that Amazon is capable of attracting serious stars, it is now. Variety understands that the internet giant is developing a comedy series that stars Danny DeVito and Jeff Goldblum as an antagonistic music duo forced to get back together. It’s The Odd Couple with guitars, really. The behind-the-camera talent is important, too. The Simpsons’ Tim Long will be the series’ creator, while Brian Grazer (of A Beautiful Mind fame) takes the role of executive producer.

There’s no word on a tentative name, let alone a release date. Even so, this is bound to be one of Amazon’s higher-profile streaming video projects. The company is no stranger to attracting familiar talent (such as Malcolm McDowell or Jeffrey Tambor), but it’ll be hard to ignore a show revolving around two actors who are practically household names. Also, it’s evident that the stakes are growing ever higher in the streaming world. Between this and Netflix’s Brad Pitt movie, internet video services are increasingly willing to pay whatever it takes to outshine the competition.

Source: Variety

Intel and BMW’s autonomous cars hit the road

Intel is great at building chips for computers. Everything else, not so much. But the company that’s been powering most of the computers on the market for decades is going full bore into autonomous cars. Today it announced the launch of the its own self-driving car test fleet with partner BMW. The vehicles will also include technology from Intel’s latest acquisition, Mobileye.

At an event in San Jose, Intel vice president of the automated driving group Kathy Winter unveiled the first of 40 BMW 7 Series self-driving cars it’ll be testing on the road. All the cars are expected to be on the road by the end of the year. All the vehicles will include multiple Mobileye cameras for road scanning.

The event was held at the company’s new Intel Autonomous Driving Garage. Winter said that while it looks pretty today, it’ll be a working space where self-driving technology will be researched and launched.

Source: Intel