Airbnb is reportedly being used to launder money

Criminals have long been exploiting online marketplaces for money laundering purposes, and the latest service to reportedly fall prey to fraudsters is Airbnb. According to a Daily Beast report, Russian scammers are leveraging the service to launder dirty cash from stolen credit cards with the help of corrupt hosts. The fraudsters are recruiting for their Airbnb abuses on Russian-language crime forums, with posts seeking everything from collaborators to hacked accounts.

After creating or purchasing the Airbnb accounts, the scammers use them to request bookings from colluding hosts, who then send back a cut of the profits despite no one staying at the property, cybersecurity expert Rick Holland told Daily Beast. Legitimate hosts also help the criminals sidestep Airbnb’s rules on government ID — although the company clearly states it cannot be held responsible for the confirmation of any member’s identification. The posts reportedly indicate that fraudsters tap hosts to funnel up to $3,000 at a time, as part of operations both inside Russia and the EU. Still, it’s difficult to gauge how extensive or marginal the abuse of Airbnb is.

In its response, Airbnb pointed to its machine-learning algorithms as part of its protections against “suspicious activity.” The company added: “we employ micro authorization friction and 3D-Secure to verify if a credit card is being used by its owner and assess the level of risk associated with a transaction.”

Source: Daily Beast

Drone-owning Brits face clampdown in a bid to make its skies safer

Drone owners in the U.K. are facing tougher controls on how they use their flying machines and may have to sit a safety-awareness test before they’re allowed to send it skyward.

The British government on Sunday announced a move toward implementing laws to give police more powers to prevent the unsafe or criminal use of the remotely controlled copters.

A new Drone Bill that could become law next year proposes that all drones weighing more than 0.55 pounds (250 grams) will have to be registered by their owner on a national database when they’re purchased.

The new law could give U.K. police the right to order operators to ground their drone where necessary. “Officers will also be able to seize drone parts to prove it has been used to commit an offense,” the Department for Transport said in its Sunday announcement.

Drone operators may also be required to use a designated app before they fly their drone to ensure their location is safe and legal for a flight. Such an app would go some way to tackling the growing problem of drone flights near, for example, airports. So far this year there have been 80 reports of drones buzzing U.K. airports, up from 55 for the same period a year earlier. In the summer, a drone caused major disruption at one of the country’s busiest airports, causing landings and take-offs to be halted twice in the space of an hour.

While the police can currently make use of existing legislation to combat some problematic drone use, a new set of rules specifically concerning drone technology — with new additions such as mandatory drone tests and registration — would give the police additional powers within a more organized framework of regulations.

Complaints in the U.K. regarding drone use reached 3,456 in 2016, nearly three times more than the number reported a year earlier.

They included neighbors complaining about people using drones to spy on them in their backyards, as well as more alarming incidents involving passenger jets. Criminals are also thought to be using drones to study properties ahead of a potential burglary, while others have been using them to fly contraband to prison inmates.

Like many countries around the world, the U.K. authorities are playing catch-up with drone technology, which has grown rapidly in popularity in the last couple of years. This Christmas is expected to be another bumper year for the likes of DJI, Parrot, and Yuneec, which all produce popular consumer drones.

Thinking of getting one yourself? DT has researched the top models, and we’ve also some ideas if you’re looking for a budget bird as your first flying machine.

Motorola takes a dig at Samsung’s iPhone parody with ‘up-upgrade’ ad

Samsung’s recent ad attempting to persuade iPhone fans to ditch their Apple-made handset in favor of the Galaxy Note 8 was a clever piece of marketing that also put a smile on the face of many who watched it. The ad ended by imploring people to “upgrade to Galaxy.”

Lenovo-owned Motorola, clearly not one to miss a trick, has now responded with its own amusing effort that takes on both Samsung and Apple.

The 30-second ad (above) effectively carries on from where Samsung’s effort left off, with the protagonist, having finally jumped ship from Apple to Samsung, looking satisfied with his $930 Note 8.

Chilling out at home with his partner beside him, he happily shows her the video he shot of the two of them out together, with the picture looking great on the device’s gorgeous 6.3-inch display.

His partner, who in the Samsung ad persuaded the guy to get the Note 8, gives him a look as if it to say, “Didn’t I tell you? I got rid of the Galaxy.”

She reaches for her $500, 5.5-inch Moto Z2 Play, slots it into one of the device’s many modular options, and places it on the coffee table. Before the guy can say, “But you just told me to get the Note 8,” we’re all watching the Z2 Play project the same video onto 70 inches of wall in the couple’s living room. And it looks great.

The guy cracks half a smile, with the other half of his mouth refusing to join in as he weighs up the hassle of switching phones again. Even though he really should be happy with the Note 8.

The ad closes by mocking the ending of Samsung’s ad, telling us to “up-upgrade to Motorola.”

And in case you missed it first time around, here’s the Samsung ad that Motorola mocks:

While we don’t expect too many people will be rushing to the store to swap their Note 8 for a Moto Z phone, the ad nevertheless gets the word out about the modular system of the Z family, which lets you easily add feature-boosting devices like a speaker, camera, battery, and yes, projector, to your handset. The mods don’t come cheap though, with the projector, for example, coming with a $300 price tag.

DT has in-depth reviews of both the Z2 Play and the Galaxy Note 8, so go check ’em out.

Sensor-laden ZozoSuit can take the headache out of online clothes shopping

If you ever order clothes online, then how often do you find yourself disappointed with the fit once you get the garment on?

Too long, too short, too loose, too tight. A perfect fit seems elusive sometimes, leaving you with no choice but to package up the item and send it back. It’s the main hazard of buying clothes online, though a New Zealand tech company hopes to change all that.

Auckland-based StretchSense has created the ZozoSuit that aims to ensure your clothes order fits perfectly every single time. Looking something like a diving suit, the snugly fitting full-body smart garment contains 150 sensors that collect accurate measurements of your body size and shape when you put it on. An app then logs the information and sends it with your next order.

The consumer-ready wearable is the result of a collaboration between StretchSense and Japanese online fashion retailer StartToday, owner of the ZozoTown shopping portal.

The two companies believe the special suit will go toward “significantly” improving customer satisfaction while also pleasing the retailer as it should help to reduce the hassle of processing returns and sending out replacements.

But how will the online retailer distribute the ZozoSuit, and at what cost to its bottom line? We’ve reached out to StretchSense for more information on the precise plans it has for its high-tech suit and will update when we hear back.

Shin Jeong Park, StretchSense marketing director, says on the company’s website: “The ability to measure body size is just one of the applications possible with a smart sensing body suit. Stretch sensors are a great tool to capture information about how people move in the world; from that information you can draw conclusions about motion, pose and health. The data from our sensing technology is helping to push the boundaries of human performance.”

While the ZozoSuit’s technology certainly looks like it has the potential to cut down on returns, you still can’t beat trying a garment on to see how it feels and looks on you. In that case, it seems likely that any online fashion retailer utilizing such a suit will still be messing about with returns for some time to come — until  perhaps an AI product surfaces that knows exactly what you like and sends perfectly-fitting items every time without so much as an order being placed.

The $33 Eufy BodySense smart scale works with your smartphone to track your data

Get a full body composition analysis on your phone with this scale.

The Eufy BodySense smart scale is down to $32.99 on Amazon. That’s the lowest price we’ve ever seen. Its regular street price is $50, and we’ve shared a deal or two on it in the past when it dropped to $40, but we’ve never seen it go lower than that.

Eufy’s scale is compatible with Apple Health and Google Fit. It connects to your phone via Bluetooth and gives you a lot of control over the data.

Features include:

• Supports multiple device pairings, eliminating the need to connect and disconnect when changing users.
• EufyLife syncs with Apple Health and Google Fit to store all your data in one convenient, centralized location for easy viewing.
• Pairs with up to 20 accounts to seamlessly track multiple users—just log-on and weigh-in.
• Turn on Bluetooth, open EufyLife, and pair with your scale.
• Note: EufyLife is compatible with devices running iOS 8.0+ and Android 4.3+
• Track and compare your readings for comprehensive health insight.

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Find out what all the Chromebook hype is about for as little as $100

If you’ve been looking for an excuse to buy a Chromebook, we may have just found one.

Not everyone is sold on the benefit of having a Chromebook just yet, but when prices dip as low as these it’s hard not to want to try one out. Acer’s Chromebook CB3 is down to just $99.99 as part of Amazon’s one-day Cyber Monday Gold Box, which is a savings of $79.99. This is about as basic as it gets in terms of specs, but there are some more powerful units available as well. These are in new condition, and at these prices, we don’t expect them to last long!

• Acer Chromebook CB3 – $99.99 (Was $179.99)
• Acer Chromebook 11 – $129.99 (Was $199.99)
• Acer Chromebook R13 – $399.99 (Was $399.99)
• ASUS Chromebook Flip C302 – $386.99 (Was $469.99)

Don’t forget that these prices will be gone before you know it. You’ll beat yourself up later if you miss out, so avoid that hassle and pick one up today!

Discover who you really are with AncestryDNA’s $55 genetic testing kit

Find out where you come from.

This AncestryDNA genetic testing kit is down to $54.99 on Amazon. Normally, this is a $100 kit. AncestryDNA is slashing the price for Cyber Monday. It was this price for Black Friday, too, but the kit was only available from the AncestryDNA site and less accessible that way. With this deal, you can get Prime shipping and get your results back that much faster.

Features include:

• Over 1 billion family connections.
• Uncover your ethnic mix across 165 regions worldwide, including 9 unique regions of Africa.
• Ancestry has the world’s largest consumer DNA network—over 6 million people and counting.
• The only consumer DNA test with six million chances to find new relatives.
• AncestryDNA helps you discover the people and places that made you who you are.

The AncestryDNA kit has 3.8 stars based on 1,847 user reviews.

See at Amazon

Microsoft Office is now available for all Chromebooks

It took its sweet time, but Microsoft Office for Android is now available on all Play Store-compatible Chromebooks, according to Chrome Unboxed. The software’s convoluted journey en route to Google’s laptops is well documented. As a recap, when Android app support arrived on Chrome OS over a year ago, Microsoft’s Office Suite apps were (naturally) among the first reviewers — including Computerworld — downloaded on compatible devices, such as the latest Pixelbook and the Asus Chromebook Flip C302CA. And, everybody just (incorrectly) assumed they’d also be available on other Play Store-supported Chromebooks too. Boy, was everyone wrong.

Instead, Office Suite wound up on select devices, while leaving others in the cold. The situation went on (and on) that way for an age. But, the wait is finally over, with Office downloadable for all Chromebooks. Of course, that’s great news for those who use the laptops for work or school, which likely amounts to a lot of people.

Source: Chrome Unboxed

Snapchat’s latest filters recognize pets and food

Ahead of its imminent redesign, Snapchat is rolling out new filters that recognize what’s in your snaps to provide contextually-aware graphics. Snap quietly began doling out the new feature (which lives inside its filter carousel) to users last week, the company confirmed to Mashable. You can trigger the filters by capturing images and video of select items — including food, pets, and sports equipment — and objects at locations, such as concerts and beaches.

Although the update sounds similar to the app’s existing, location-based geofilters, it instead relies on the object-recognition patent Snap was granted in July. Like Snapchat’s regular filters, you can bet brands will use the new graphics to crank out ads for their products. If Snap has its way, a pic of a cup of coffee could serve up a coupon for the store it was taken at (as detailed in its patent filing). And, a visit to a restaurant could unlock graphics of its menu. Of course, that would mean more money in Snap’s coffers, which it needs a lot more of if it wants to see a profit.

Source: Mashable

Xiaomi Redmi Y1 review: Giving users what they want

The Redmi Y1 offers excellent value for money, and the new selfie camera is the icing on the cake.

Xiaomi is no longer the plucky underdog of the Indian handset segment. The manufacturer is jointly tied with Samsung for the first place in the smartphone segment, a remarkable feat considering the brand opened its operations in India just three years ago.

Xiaomi introduced a lot of firsts in the country: it catalyzed the e-commerce segment and pioneered flash sales, and its focus on MIUI allowed the company to roll out a steady stream of new features. And in spite of its swift climb up the ranks, the brand largely stayed away from aggressive marketing tactics (looking at you, OPPO and Vivo), instead relying on word-of-mouth advertising to drum up interest in its phones.

That’s all changing with the Redmi Y1. The phone is a rebranded variant of the Redmi Note 5A Prime, but Xiaomi is rolling it out an all-new category in the country, one aimed at a younger audience. One way to get people in India talking about a new device is to get a celebrity endorsement, and Xiaomi is taking that route with the Y1.

That said, one thing that hasn’t changed is the company’s focus on value: the Redmi Y1 costs the same as the Redmi 4, which made its debut earlier this year. While both devices are selling at the same price point, there are a few areas where they differ. Read on to find out if the Redmi Y1 is the device for you.

Xiaomi Redmi Y1 What you’ll like

The Redmi Y1 carries a similar design aesthetic to the rest of the products in Xiaomi’s budget series. The phone features a polycarbonate chassis with chrome accents running across the back, intersecting the camera module. The plastic chassis means the device isn’t too heavy at 153g.

You get a 5.5-inch 720p display, which is fine considering the Snapdragon 435 doesn’t fare well with 1080p panels. The screen itself is perfectly serviceable, offering vibrant colors and a maximum brightness of 450 nits (I didn’t have any issues reading text under harsh sunlight). The screen has 2.5D curved glass, making it easier to use, and there’s Gorilla Glass for added resilience to tumbles.

Like all Xiaomi phones, you get the ability to tweak the color temperature to your liking. There’s also a blue light filter that you can set to kick in automatically from sunset to sunrise. Again, you’ll be able to adjust the intensity of the filter, and set custom activation times.

The fingerprint sensor is located at the top third of the phone, making it easy to access with your index finger. The sensor itself is quick to authenticate and didn’t pose any problems. The power and volume buttons are located on the right, and while they’re made out of plastic, they have a decent amount of feedback.

There’s a 3.5mm jack up top next to the IR blaster, and the speaker grille and Micro-USB charging port are located at the bottom. Oh, and the SIM card tray now accommodates a microSD card in addition to two SIM cards🙏.

The Redmi Y1 offers a familiar design with great build quality and a new selfie camera.

The Redmi Y1’s raison d’être is its front camera. There’s clearly a market for phones with high-res front cameras, and Xiaomi is now catering to that audience with the Y1. The phone features a 16MP front camera with an f/2.0 lens, 76.4-degree field of view, and a LED flash module.

The front camera does a great job when it comes to taking selfies, but you do see a lot of noise in low-light conditions. The flash automatically kicks in when there’s less ambient lighting, and you can manually toggle it in daylight to create a halo lighting effect.

The camera interface is unchanged from previous Xiaomi devices, and you get options to toggle between the front and rear cameras, enable flash and HDR, and switch shooting modes. The phone has a manual mode that lets you select the ISO and white balance, and you also get beautify, panorama, and tilt-shift modes, along with HHT for low-light scenarios.

The front camera on the Redmi Y1 is one of the better options available in this segment, so if you’re one to take a lot of selfies, then the phone should be right up your alley. As for the rear camera, you’re looking at a 13MP imaging sensor with f/2.2 lens. For all intents, this is the same sensor as the one used in the Redmi 4, and the resulting images highlight that.

Xiaomi stated during the launch of the Redmi Y1 that MIUI has over 280 million users globally, and that number is only set to grow over the coming years as the manufacturer makes inroads into new markets. My Redmi Y1 unit came with a beta build of MIUI 9, but retail devices will run MIUI 8 out of the box. Xiaomi is making the MIUI 9 update available to more and more devices, and the OTA should roll out to the Redmi Y1 imminently.

There’s a lot to like in MIUI 9. The notification panel has been reworked, there’s a new image editor, and overall the interface feels much less bloated. The latest version of the custom skin doesn’t offer a visual overhaul, so if you’re coming from older versions of MIUI, there’s no learning curve involved. You still get a ton of customization options, and Xiaomi has introduced a new Limitless theme as well as sticker packs that are exclusive to the Indian market.

The Redmi Y1 is powered by a Snapdragon 435, and like the Redmi 4, you’re not going to notice any lag in day-to-day usage. Running visually-intensive games will slow the device down (and drain the battery), but overall there’s not a lot wrong when talking about the performance side of things. The variant I’m using features 3GB of RAM and 32GB of internal storage, but you can also get a model with 4GB of RAM and 64GB of storage for ₹10,999.

Xiaomi Redmi Y1 What you won’t like

The Redmi Y1 has a 3080mAh battery, and while the phone manages to last a day without any issues, battery life isn’t as great as other Xiaomi devices in this segment. The Redmi 4, for instance, has a huge 4100mAh battery that easily delivers two days of battery life, and the Redmi Note 4 is similarly a battery champion.

Xiaomi’s emphasis on battery life has made it a fan favorite this year, and in that context, the Redmi Y1 isn’t the manufacturer’s best showing. You’ll still get around five hours of screen-on-time consistently, but the lack of fast charging means the device takes over two hours to fully charge up.

You’re not going to get two days’ worth of battery life out of the Redmi Y1.

One area where the device does lag behind is in terms of software updates. The retail units are slated to pick up the update to MIUI 9 shortly, but that is still based on Android 7.1.2 Nougat. As of now, there’s no mention of an Oreo update schedule.

Then we come to the subject of bezels. The Redmi Y1 has sizeable bezels at the front, which when combined with the 5.5-inch screen size makes the device particularly ill-suited for one-handed usage. That said, MIUI lets you artificially shrink the size of the screen down to 4.5, 4.0, or 3.5 inches.

Xiaomi Redmi Y1 Bottom line

Overall, there’s a lot to like in the Redmi Y1: you get a reliable phone with sturdy build quality, decent internals, and a great front camera. Xiaomi’s biggest competitor in this segment is itself, as the Redmi 4 and Redmi Note 4 are both available in the same price bracket as the Redmi Y1.

The base variant of the Redmi Y1 with 3GB of RAM and 32GB of storage will set you back ₹8,999, and the version with 4GB of RAM and 64GB storage will cost you ₹10,999. That’s dangerously close to Redmi Note 4 territory, as similarly-configured versions of that particular device are now available for just ₹1,000 more than the Redmi Y1.

For ₹11,999, the Redmi Note 4 offers a Snapdragon 625, 1080p display, a much better rear camera, and a 4100mAh battery that is guaranteed to deliver two days’ worth of battery life. Then there’s the Redmi 4, which costs the same as the Redmi Y1 and offers a compact 5.0-inch display and 4100mAh battery.

Xiaomi is targeting the offline market with the Redmi Y1, and in that setting, it should be able to convince buyers to spring for the device (the celebrity endorsement doesn’t hurt either). After all, this is the same tactic that OPPO and Vivo relied on to catapult up the ranks over the last two years.

At its core, the Redmi Y1 is a Redmi 4 with a better selfie camera, larger screen, and smaller battery. It caters to a specific section of the market, albeit one that is poised to grow. Phones with high-resolution front cameras now account for just over 25% of all handset sales in the country, so it shouldn’t be too hard to find customers for the device. And for those that don’t care about the front camera, the brand has two great devices in the Redmi 4 and the Redmi Note 4.

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